601. EBB to Mary Russell Mitford
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 3, 305–306.
[London]
Saturday morning. [16 December 1837] [1]
I meant to have written to my dearest Miss Mitford today, even without the suggestiveness of her note—for the account yesterday of dear Mr Kenyon was so favorable that I could not help making her a partaker of the joy. Papa went to his house, & saw his manservant, a better detailer than the rest of the household– Sette said the other day—“I could not get a sensible answer– She is a woman”—with an explanatory emphasis, Sette being a wag. Well! but dear Mr Kenyon is really & most satisfactorily better,—very weak of course: and the physician instead of visiting him twice a day, does so now on every alternate day; and yesterday he had two eggs for breakfast besides toast.
Now that is not a bulletin drawn up bulletin-wise: nevertheless thro’ all the jumble you will be able to make out the happy sense of it, that he is convalescent & does not require much more than strength to be well. I understand that he is thin & pale. One could not expect less,—and the rest is a great blessing for which to thank God.
My dear friend! I am so glad that you are removed from the noise & inconvenience of all kinds, connected with rebuilding a house over your head. As to the smallness of your present cottage, I dare say it is not much smaller for you than this house is for us (I do wish we were rather more at large in Wimpole St!) and unless the smallness inconveniences you, I wont sympathize with the ‘beautiful scorn’ [2] of Duca Dash. Tell him I wd willingly change places with him (if I were sure that he wd show Myrtle’s deep respect towards my Doves) only I shd certainly misbehave just as he does, in “sticking to” certain “gown-skirts”. I have rather a liking to cottages (to say nothing of the owner of the gown) supposing their inmates not to be too numerous & noisy. Otherwise give me thicker walls!—& longer passages, than cottage ones. Could you ever in your life shed tears over the lot of people starving upon five hundred [a] year which goes to them without an effort, or without a painful effort, of their own?– I never could. Would that as high a standard were commonly raised in the moral & intellectual, as in the physical & conventional!–
You do not say dearest Miss Mitford how you are!– May God grant that you are better, & less harrassed in all ways!——
As for me, I am tolerably well. I have not caught cold this week—a point gained! but I must not, nor others for me, expect to be well or even much better very quickly.
My messenger has just returned from Mr Kenyon’s. He was up for half an hour this morning. This is delightful! Papa has just been in the room; & hearing that I was writing to you, desired me to offer his compliments to you—together with his congratulations to you & all capable of appreciating worth, upon this happy amendment in Mr Kenyon–
Your ever affectionate
EBB
Address, on integral page: Miss Mitford / Three Mile Cross / near Reading.
Publication: EBB-MRM, I, 56–57 (as [2? December 1837]).
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. This letter is a reply to the previous one.
2. Cf. Twelfth Night, III, 2, 145.
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